


always on the run [even from you]

by vent_ficpog



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety, Death, Depression, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Eating Disorders, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Other, Runaway, Self-Harm, Suicide, Trans Character, sbi go brr, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28928454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vent_ficpog/pseuds/vent_ficpog
Summary: tommy’s a runaway. he somehow ended up across the country and that’s when he meets tubbo.he’s a strange kid to say the least, he’s a streamer and his whole family is the same. but tommy couldn’t be more thankful for being able to meet him.sometimes, you get too sick for your body to keep you alive. oh how he wishes he could come back.—semi vent fic! if any creators r uncomfy w it it will be removed immediately.
Relationships: none no thank u
Comments: 17
Kudos: 154





	1. the alleyway

tommy pulled the blanket tighter, assessing the items in the alleyway he could use to make a shelter for the night. he had run away about a month ago and he was quite far from home. he’d ended up in some sea side village that he didn’t know the name of.

he counted to three and left the blanket, the cold engulfing him. he grabbed a few empty boxes and some boards of wood. he assembled it quickly before wrapping himself back up.

he was placing the final board infront of the entrance when he heard the footsteps at the end of the alley. he swung around on his heels to see a small teenage boy. he was wearing a large jacket, obviously a few sizes too big. it looked warm though! 

the boy was watching the scene curiously. tommy paused before diving into his shelter and closing it off.

the footsteps grew closer and closer until a soft knock on a plank of wood made him frown. 

_he just doesn’t give up, does he._ tommy thought. he hesitantly pushed the board aside a little bit, giving him a good view of the boy and vice versa.

he wrapped his arms around his legs and watched the boy sit down infront of the entrance to his small shelter.

”i’m tubbo.” he said, reaching his hand out, to which tommy flinched back.

he nearly laughed thinking about the name. who names their kid tubbo? tommy stayed quiet for a minute before speaking up. “tommy.” he mumbled hesitantly

”hi, tommy!” tubbo said, smiling. “how old are you?”

”what, you trying to tell the cops where i am?” tommy said, moving to close the entrance to his shelter.

”no! no way. you probably ran away for a reason, if i’m interpreting this right.” tubbo looked around the alleyway and turned back to tommy. “it’s cold, why don’t you go home? is everything safe?”

tommy scoffed, “home? oh yeah, i can totally walk the seven hours back home.”

”seven hours? jesus.” tubbo laughed lightly and continued, “you can stay with me then! free of charge, nothing weird, you’re just so young to be out alone like this.”

he considered the idea for a moment. to be fair, it was only gonna get colder. it would be nice to have a place to stay for a night and the guy seemed nice enough.

”fine, but i have some questions.” tommy coughed a little as the smell of the trash cans near by seeped in.

tubbo nodded and picked at a patch of dead grass by the trash can.

”okay, first, is tubbo your real name? because that’s a strange name. second, how old are you? third, why are you offering me a place to stay?” tommy leaned against the wall behind him and crossed his arms.

“no, tubbos not my real name.” he laughed, “it’s toby. no one names their kid tubbo,” he smiled and continued, “i’ve just turned seventeen 2 days ago. and i’m offering you somewhere to stay because, no offense, you look awful. plus your outside in the winter far from home with no where to go!” tubbo exclaimed. he looked up to face tommy who was lost in thought.

he considered the offer again and took a deep breath, “alright. where we going, tubbo?”


	2. who are you [and where are we going]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they arrive at the tubbo household !!!

“so, why’d you run away?” tubbo asked, before continuing quickly, “you don’t have to tell me, only if your comfortable.”

tommy paused and considered it for a moment before speaking up. “i’m not sure. i got overwhelmed with college. family was stressful. they wanted to send me to a hospital,” he looked down as his feet as the walk continued, examining the scuffs and holes in said shoes.

”hospital?”

”yeah.”

”are you sick?” tubbo hesitated slightly and stopped walking, turning to look at tommy and examine him.

tommy laughed lightly, “something like that.”

”is it contagious?”

”not that kind of sick, tubbo. mental illness,” he paused.

”oh. what can i do to help?” he asked. he looked around and spotted a road sign, and began walking again, tommy following.

”nothing, really. but that’s okay,” tommy replied.

they walked in silence for a couple more minutes before they arrived at a large house. it had bricks on the side and there was a garden in the back.

”come in, but be quiet because mother won’t be a big fan of this.” tubbo said, opening the door.

”toby! you’re late for dinner,” tommy heard who he assumed was his mother call out.

”sorry, mum! can i eat in my room? i’ve got some stream stuff to do,” he replied, pointing tommy up the stairs.

he heard an “okay” from tubbo as he made it up the stairs. he glanced around the hallway and found the room he figured would be tubbos. there was a desk with a large computer on it with professional looking equipment and a small bed in the corner. there was a closet and a few pieces of clothing scattered around, but other than that, it was rather clean.

he heard footsteps approach behind him and he turned around to see tubbo closing the door.

”glad you found the right room! here, you can pick out some clothes since those aren’t too clean and i’ll wash those.” tubbo walked to his closet and opened it, picking a large hoodie, “considering your taller than me this might not fit great but i have bigger ones.”

tommy nodded and changed into the hoodie, finding it to be a good size around the shoulders. 

“thanks,” he muttered.

”no problem. here, i’ll split this half and half with you,” he said, holding a plate out to tommy.

tommy stared down at the plate and shook his head.

”what? are you okay?” tubbo asked, concerned.

tommy nodded and sat down on the bed, curling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

“you’ve got to eat something, god knows how long you’ve been out there.” tubbo took a seat next to him and placed the plate to the side.

”i don’t want it.” he mumbled.

tubbo paused and turned to look at tommy. “what? why?”

”not hungry.”

”okay.. well, i’ve got to stream and do some work but i’ll give you some earbuds and you can listen to music. i’ll try to make it quick, okay?” tubbo said, standing and moving to his desk.

”okay.” 


	3. a danger to who?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “a danger to who?”  
> “yourself.”

his first night at tubbos house was quiet. tubbo still hadn’t told his mother that a random runaway was living there, and tommy was still being quiet as to not alarm the family that he was there.

”anyway chat, that’s all for the stream tonight! sorry it was shorter than usual, i’ve got a family thing. goodbye chat!” tubbo announced. tommy watched him click a button on some device and the chat stopped flying. he sent a quick message and shut down his computer, walking over to tommy.

”hey, so if you’re gonna stay here i have to know some stuff about you,” he said, sitting and folding his legs over each other.

tommy turned and brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “like what?” he asked.

tubbo paused. “well, why did they want to send you to a hospital?”

tommy stared ahead at tubbo and then looked down at the floor. he took a deep breath, “why do you have to know that?” he mumbled.

”because you could be a serial killer or you could be a danger to yourself. looking at you, though, i doubt the serial killer part. and either way, i have to know so i can make sure everyone’s safe. especially you.” tubbo explained. 

“me? safe from what?” 

“yourself.” tubbo said, unfolding his legs and swinging them over the side of the bed.

tommy laughed a little and kicked his feet at the floor. “i’ve just got some problems. not a danger to you, so you don’t need to know.”

tubbo sighed and looked at tommy. “just tell me, it’s gonna be easier this way. you’ll probably be here awhile so we should know about each other.”

”fine.” he paused, taking a breath, “ive got some issues with depression,” he chose the answer that would lead to the least interrogation. tubbo hadn’t noticed his scars, at least he thought so, so he didn’t have to tell him about that. he might be suspicious after he refused food, but he could explain that as trust problems.

”oh.” tubbo said, “what can i do to help?”

”nothing, really. letting me stay here is generous enough,” he replied.

tubbo nodded and silence fell over them for awhile before he spoke up, “we should go to bed. you can sleep in the bed, i’ll make something on the floor.” 

tommy began to protest but tubbo just put his hand up and moved to make a bed on the floor.


	4. footsteps and knocking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> purely platonic btw!!

tommy never slept peacefully. that’s one of the reasons he was so wary about being here; how could he explain to tubbo, his only friend, what was wrong?

he couldn’t. that’s what he thought, anyway. so when he woke up thrashing against the blankets, nearly screaming, terror filling his body, he was hoping to god tubbo wouldn’t wake up.

he clawed at his skin and curled into a ball as his breathing picked up. he heard a muffled noise on the floor and then a more distinct one.

”tommy?” tubbo mumbled, sitting up.

tommy pulled at his hair and looked down at his covered arms, seeing the vivid images from the nightmare of blood through the sleeves. no blood was there, and the rational part of him knew that, but he couldn’t tell in his panic. 

he clutched at the wrist he thought was bleeding and began hyperventilating as tubbo finally looked at him and stood up quickly.

”tommy? shit,” tubbo said, taking a seat next to his friend. “tommy, breathe with me okay?” tubbo demonstrated a few deep breaths, tommy attempting to follow along.

tubbo observed his panicking and noticed the strange clutching at his arm. “are you hurt? let me see,” he said, reaching forwards. tommy recoiled back.

”help,” he pleaded, “can’t breathe- can’t- i can’t see, there’s blood, i’m dying tubbo-“ his breathing picked up again as he clutched at his chest.

tubbos eyes grew more and more alarmed and he reached out gently, resting a hand on tommy’s shoulder. 

he continued demonstrating deep breaths as tommy attempted to follow along, breathing evening out slightly.

”what blood, tommy? you aren’t bleeding.” tubbo replied, observing tommy.

”my arm, there’s- there’s blood.” tommy pleaded.

”let me see,” tubbo said softly, holding out a hand. tommy placed his wrist in tubbos hand and pointed to his forearm.

”i swear it was there! i saw it! it was there i know it,” he said frantically.

”tommy, you were having a nightmare.” tubbo explained calmly. “do you want to check?”

tommy collected his thoughts and quickly yanked his arm back, hiding it even though it was covered.

”no, no. just- just a nightmare. nothings there, nothing.” he rambled quickly, folding in on himself.

tubbo looked confused before a look of realization dawned upon him. he gasped and reached out, grabbing tommy’s wrist and folding up the sleeve fabric a bit. he only saw a small amount before tommy ripped his arm away and began to sob.

”i’m sorry- god i’m sorry. ill leave- ill, ill go right now,” tommy said, standing up. he grabbed his t shirt and put it on, putting the hoodie he had been wearing on the ground of the wardrobe. tubbo jumped up and stood next to him.

”tommy, what? you don’t have to leave,” tubbo said quickly. 

tommy grabbed the few things he had and began walking to the door. a loud knock on said door nearly sent him flying ten feet back.

”toby? what’s all the noise?” it was a males voice. tommy’s eyes widened and he retreated to a corner of the room. he hated when male authority figures were present like that, the only one he trusted being his friends.

”sorry! work emergency. ill be quiet,” tubbo replied from across the room.

as soon as the footsteps retreated from tubbos door, he ran over to tommy. he knelt infront of him and sighed.

”tommy, i’m not mad. we are gonna help you get better okay? but no hospitals and doctors because you’ll run,” tubbo said quietly. “i’ll help you.”

tommy curled his legs to his chest and dropped his head to his knees, crying. tubbo took a seat next to him and wrapped his arm around tommy’s shoulder, where they soon fell asleep.


	5. crawlspace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is entirely based abt drug abuse so please be careful !!!

tommy opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. tubbo was still beside him, sleeping peacefully against the wall. tommy observed him for a moment before standing.

he dug into his pocket and took out one of the only things he had brought; his phone. he saw the battery was dangerously low. he swore under his breathe and quickly plugged it in to tubbos charger. 

he opened his texts and located a contact, simply labeled “JS”. he typed quickly, staring at the phone.

 **tommy:** hey j. reckon you could make a trip? it’s far but i’ll pay.

 **js:** uh depends where you are

 **tommy:** [location attachment]

 **js:** the fuck you doing all the way out there?

 **tommy:** ran away. long story. but for a friend would you make the trip and bring me the usual?

 **js:** you owe me big time. meet at the train station tomorrow at noon.

tommy mumbled something and picked at his nails. he couldn’t wait until tomorrow; he’d already been without for so long. he walked to tubbos window, ensuring he was asleep, and took out a cigarette from his small backpack. he opened the window and sat in the window sill, letting his legs dangle out the window. he lit the cigarette and took a drag, blowing the smoke out the window. he continued for a couple minutes before tubbo began to stir. he quickly put it out and chucked it out the window, exhaling the last of the smoke just as tubbo opened his eyes.

tubbo rubbed his eyes and winced. “it smells bad in here,” he noted, unsure.

”i opened the window, that could be why.” tommy said, hoping the smell of smoke wafted away.

tubbo yawned and stood up. he spotted tommy and his eyes widened, rushing over and grabbing into tommy’s elbow gently.

”hey, uhm, that’s a far fall.” he said in quickly. “why don’t you come in?” 

tommy sighed and swung his legs back inside and made his way to the floor. he was wearing his red and white shirt that he had been wearing when tubbo found him and it was quite dirty and ripped.

tubbo glanced over him and walked to the closet, examining it before handing him a large hoodie. “i know last night was rough, but don’t freeze to death please.” tubbo joked.

tommy smiled. 

_maybe being here will be nice,_ he thought.

—————

“hey tubbo? i’ve got to go out for a bit, just a quick walk. i’ll see you in an hour ish.” tommy said, tying his shoes.

”a walk? it’s freezing!” tubbo questioned.

”i’ll be quick, i promise.”

he rushed out and snuck out the front door, using his memory to find the train station. he checked the time and watched a train roll it. he observed the passengers and tapped his foot. he idly itched at his arms and neck.

finally, he saw him. a decently tall man dressed in black jeans and a black denim jacket, as he usually was. he didn’t know his real name, just that everyone in the business called him JS. 

“tommy! hey little man,” JS said, approaching him. “let’s find an alleyway, yeah?”

tommy nodded and glanced around, locating one and leading the way. they stood across from each other after making sure the coast was clear. j, as tommy called him, reached into his pocket, taking out a box. he opened it to reveal a few small bottles and needles. tommy smiled and dug into his own pocket, taking out money. 

“on the house. just pay for my train fare back,” j said. he accepted the money and handed tommy the box.

”make it last, because this trip was a pain in the ass.” he joked.

tommy nodded and the two said their goodbyes. tommy hid the box as best he could in his pockets before walking back inside tubbos house and sneaking up to his friends room. 

he glanced around, seeing a note on the desk. he approached it and read carefully.

_went out shopping, home in an hour! :] - toby_

he smiled and sat on tubbos bed, taking the box from his pockets. he took out a needle and one of the bottles, filling the needle a little. he rolled up his sleeve and hyped himself up.

he HATED needles, but he needed this. he thought he did anyway. he took a deep breathe and poked the needle into the vein near his elbow, pushing down the injector.

—————

tubbo must have left only shortly after tommy did, because it definelty wasn’t an hour until he got home. 

he opened the front door and called out to the house, seeing if anyone was home. he only had college two days a week, whereas his siblings went to school everyday. his parents both worked, so he was home alone most days.

when he got no response, he was confused. surely tommy would be back by now?

he moved up the stairs warily and set his bags down by the door, opening it. tommy was curled up on the bed, passed out. he clutched something to his chest, but tubbo couldn’t tell what. the only strange part was that only one of his sleeves was up.

tubbo walked forward carefully and tapped tommy on the shoulder. his eyes opened slowly and he smiled lazily.

”tubbbooo! it’s youuuu,” he slurred quietly.

”tommy what the hell?” he mumbled. “are you drunk or something?”

”nooope! ‘m all here.” he said laughing.

tubbo raised an eyebrow. “what’cha got there?” he said, motioning to the items tommy was clinging to.

”none of your business,” he let out a laugh and turned away.

tubbo stared at tommy and noticed a box sitting a foot or so away. he grabbed it and opened it slowly, nearly dropping it at the sight. “tommy! this is heroin!” tubbo shouted.

tommy froze before turning back over and laughing, reaching out for the box.

“i let you in my house and you do heroin here? you know my little sisters live here?” tubbo shouted. he pried tommy’s hands away from his chest and took the contents from him. it was a small bottle and a needle.

tommy mumbled and sprung forward, grabbing the box clumsily. “‘m not doing heroin,” he pulled down his sleeve and sat up slowly, disorientated.

”i literally see it, you idiot.” tubbo said, holding up the bottle and needle which tommy quickly grabbed. tubbo pinched the bridge of his nose. “who gave it to you?”

”jay,” tommy said smiling. “but ‘m not doing heroin.” 

tubbo sighed in frustration. “give me the box.”

”no!” tommy protested, holding it close.

”tommy give me the god damn box or i swear to god.”

”what’re you gonna do?” tommy laughed, “kill me? i can do that myself!” he barely had any recognition of what he was saying.

tubbos eyes went wide. “wha-“ he choked on his words momentarily before continuing. “what did you just say?”

tommy shrugged and laughed lightly. “i ‘ont know,”

tubbo stared at the box and observed tommy. he was scrawny, but he was really tall. he was also high, so he probably wasn’t very coordinated or aware of how strong he’d be. he considered momentarily about fighting the box away from him. he pushed the idea away, as he didn’t know how strong tommy was.

he sat down beside tommy and pulled him into a hug. he waited for tommy to return it before throwing his arms backwards and latching onto the box. he leapt up quickly and held it above his head.

tommy was confused and dazed, barely aware.

”i’m gonna get rid of this. don’t go looking for it.” tubbo said. he moved out of the bedroom and into a small crawl space under the stairs. he tucked it in the corner and buried it under some blankets before returning to his room. he wasn’t sure how to properly dispose of that without getting caught so he resigned to hiding it.

by the time he had returned tommy was fast asleep.


	6. seashells and i’m sorry’s

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter hurts so prepare urself chat, it’s a rough one. do u think he’s gonna live or not?

tommy carefully stood up from the bed, trying not to hit the noisy parts of the floor. he gently stepped over tubbo on the floor and grabbed his phone off the bedside table. he slipped out of the room to the bathroom, searching the drawers for any sign of the box tubbo had hidden from him.

after a solid ten minutes of searching, he gave up. he’d have to get more from somewhere else.

he looked in the mirror at tubbos hoodie. should he leave it? it was far too cold to wear just his tattered shirt and pants but this wasn’t his. it would be nice to be able to keep the memory of his friend with him after he left, though.

he turned away from the mirror, sneaking out of the bathroom and down the stairs. he heard voices coming from the kitchen so he hurried before rushing out the front door.

he sprinted down the driveway and onto the sidewalk, walking back towards town. he spotted a beach he and tubbo had passed on the way to his house the first night, deciding to sit on a bench by the parking lot.

he sat down gently and folded his knees up to his chest. the sun hit mid sky and the hours passed by painfully slow. maybe 8 hours after he left tubbos house, a voice spoke.

“hey mate, it’s freezing. why arent you home?” he spun around in the chair and glanced back.

a man in a green and white striped hat stood a few feet back, a taller man beside him. the taller man had faded pink hair and stood quietly. another man was running from a car maybe 20 feet away, wearing a bright yellow sweater.

”dad! i got your pho-“ he gasped in air, trying to recover from the sprinting. “your phone,” he said, in between breaths.

”thanks, wil.” the man said, taking the device. “what’s your name, bud?”

tommy froze, examining the men. “uhm. it’s tommy,” he explained quietly.

the pink haired man turned to the shorter man beside him, saying, “phil, he looks like that kid on the news.”

phil paused. “tommy? as in tommy from up north? the missing kid?”

immedietly, tommy jolted to his feet. he backed up a few inches and clasped his hands to the bottom of tubbos hoodie. “who? sorry, i’m not sure who you mean. i’m not from up north,” he said, words falling out quickly. he itched at his arm and glanced around, looking for a way out.

”techno, can you call 999?” he heard phil mumble.

”NO!” tommy screamed. he took off running towards a wooded area, sprinting through bushes and trees. he found a tall one and scampered up it, just before footsteps fell into the clearing below.

”tommy?” a voice called out. he couldn’t see clearly but it sounded like the pink haired man he had seen previously, now identified as techno.

he held his breath as the footsteps stopped and then retreated. sirens picked up and came closer and closer, coming to a stop near the edge of the forest. cops began to swarm the forest, searching.

he carefully maneuvered from tree to tree until he was far enough to crawl down, running to the beach he had just left, but moving to a difference section. he collapsed into the sand, laying on his back, exhausted. he had left tubbos house hours ago and he hadn’t eaten for so long he couldn’t even remember. 

his vision was turning black at the edges. he was vaguely aware that he was dying as the water rolled gently to the sand just below his feet. he gripped a handful of sand in his weak hand. the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving a pretty color palette on the water. he let the sand fall from his grip as his eyes began to flutter closed and his heartbeat started to slow down. he felt his organs shutting down and deteriorating, he had been feeling it ever since he left home. he had been dying this whole time.

maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. if dying was this calm, maybe it was meant to be. he figured that it would be better this way; that his body could be found and he would finally be sent home. he’d have a funeral, and everyone would turn up wearing suits. tubbo would show up, probably apologizing and crying over the casket. maybe phil would come and rest his hat on the casket as he cried. his mum and dad would watch their son be lowered into the ground.

he picked up a small seashell and tucked it into his hand. he held it close to his heart and felt as his heartbeat evened out at 0 and his body gave up on him.


	7. examinations and reports of the boy who once was

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :( i’m so sorry this is gonna hurt y’all so bad tw for everything in the tags

he stared at his frail body from a few feet away. he tried to fold his hands together, only for them to fall through. he stared at himself in shock; his body was shriveled up and he held his hands close to his chest. 

he had never believed in ghosts until now. he presumed he was one now, or that he was just watching. a silent observer.

loud footsteps broke through the tree line and police swarmed him, checking his pulse. one yelled into a walkie-talking about needing medics.

quickly an ambulance approached, medics running in with a stretcher.

”hypothermia possible. no pulse,” a medic called out, twisting tommy’s head. “get him into the ambulance and start two IV’s. get a stable pulse, there could be a faint one.”

two medics nodded before hauling him onto a stretcher. he noticed the small family of three boys standing by the treeline. the man in the hat holding his son, wilbur, while he cried.

”severe malnourishment. stablize him and start a tube as soon as we can,” a medic shouted. they lifted the stretcher into the ambulance, hooking him up to whatever they could.

he followed inside quickly, standing by his body. he was dead, so why were they trying to hard to save him? he couldn’t understand it.

—————

“god damnit!” the doctor screamed. the nurses watched silently as the doctor, Dr. Young, dropped his heads into his hands and started to cry. “he was only sixteen. we have to notify his family. did we get an ID?”

”fingerprints say his name is Thomas Wecker. He’s the missing boy.” a nurse said solemnly.

a knock on the door startled the workers. “The police need to speak to you. Correspondence on a questioning.”

”So, Toby, how long as tommy been residing in your home?”

”only a few days.”

”what was his mental state like?” the police man asked.

”he was... in a rough spot.”

Dr. Young cleared his throat and spoke up, “In the coroners preliminary examination, there seems to be signs of drug abuse over a long period of time.” he paused slightly, “he had multiple puncture wounds from needles in the crook of his elbow. Would you know anything about that?”

Tubbo froze and dropped his head into his hands. “He was doing heroin. Not sure for how long but that’s all I know. I tried to stop him.”

”And that is accurate, you believe, doctor?”

”Yes.” 

“Well, I think you’ll be interested to know about him, toby.” the officer said. “His name was Thomas Wecker. He was from Nottingham. He suffered with severe depression, anxiety, drug abuse, self harm, and he passed away from what we now believe is complications of an eating disorder known as anorexia.” The officer passed the coroners report back to the doctor and folded his hands.

tubbo folded his arms and tears slipped from his eyes and he watched the police man begin to sign papers. tommy, or tommy’s spirit as he believed he was, watched the scene sadly. he tried to rest a hand on his friends shoulder, knowing it would just fall straight through. 


	8. a funeral and two seashells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter hurts like a bitch
> 
> tommy’s funeral :)

he had been floating, following his friend or the man and his two kids. he spent his days wandering through town, watching how the living would act. he almost regrets it now; letting himself die like that. he remembers how painful it was and winces.

eventually, though, one day whilst following tubbo, he noticed something strange. tubbo was walking to the train station. where would he be going, tommy wasn’t sure.

he slid through the train doors and sat down next to tubbo although he couldn’t see him. he looked around and located a light above tubbos seat, using all his energy to flicker it slightly.

tubbo watched the light curiously and smiled. he looked across the table to where tommy was sitting even though he couldn’t see his friend. he nodded and turned back to face out the window.

after an annoyingly long train ride, the train pulled to a stop. tommy froze at the sight infront of him; it was his hometown. why the hell was tubbo here?

then he realized.

tubbos wearing a suit.

it’s been a week and a half since he died.

tubbos in his town.

tubbo was going to his funeral.

—————

“hello, everyone. we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Thomas Wecker. We will be having people speak, so if you were asked to speak please be prepared. I will start by reading an excerpt from the bible.” a short man said. he wore a white pastors outfit, holding a book.

he began to read and tommy stood from his chair looking around. he saw his mom and dad, his extended family, he even saw phil and his two kids. most of all, though, he saw tubbo. he had his head in his hands and he was trying to remain composed.

the pastor closed the book after reading for awhile and looked to tommy’s parents.

”Mr. and Mrs. Wecker, you may speak first.”

they nodded and walked up to the podium, trading places with the pastor.

“hello everyone! thank you for being here; I am Julia Wecker and this is Todd Wecker. we were tommy’s parents.” she paused, looking around. “around a month ago, he ran away. we had been considering sending him to inpatient therapy, and he ran. we weren’t sure where he went but we now know he ended up near brighton down south. he was such a funny kid; lighting up every room he walked in to. maybe seven months ago, me and Todd noticed he looked quite frail and we were very worried. We sat him down to speak about it and he was so mad we couldn’t continue the conversation.” she paused and took a deep breath, composing herself. “he loved to call friends. he would stay up to the late hours of the night on call with his friends, playing video games. when he was a kid, he’d run around in the backyard catching butterflies.” she choked back a sob and continued heavily. “he was our only son. he was the most talented, funny boy we could have asked for. we are starting a non-profit for educating people about the illness that killed him, anorexia. from this life to the next, his impact stays.”

people were in tears all around the room. they began to clap and mr. and mrs. wecker made their way back to their seats.

his grandmother and some aunts and uncles gave speeches before tubbo was called up to the podium.

”hello, everyone. My name is Toby. i was walking home from the shops back in december, it was two days after my birthday so the 30th. I was passing an alleyway when i noticed Tommy. he was building a small shelter next to a dumpster. i went up to him and asked his name, why he ran away, ect. he looked so small and sick i just knew he needed help.” he turned towards the casket and sighed, turning back. “he stayed with me through new years and maybe until january 2nd. we became such good friends in this time.” he held up a jacket. “this was the sweater i gave to him so he wouldn’t have to wear his ripped clothes. this was the last thing he wore,” he said, beginning to cry. “i’m so sorry i didn’t notify you lot once i found out who he was. but that’s the past, now. i never knew of his condition, but i know now he was hurting. a lot. he ran off from my home on january 2nd and he was found at the beach that night by Phil Watson and his sons Wilbur and Techno, who i believe will also be speaking today. he was such a funny, brave kid. you deserved better, tommy.” he cried out, looking at the casket. tears spilled down his face and he quickly rushed back to his seat as the audience cried softly as well.

phil was next, wilbur and techno trailing behind.

”hello! my name is phil watson, this is wilbur watson and technoblade watson, my sons.” he gestured to the two boys and turned back. “we were at the beach one day and i noticed him; it was late at night and i thought it strange. he looked just so- so small. i approached and asked his name and we called the police after realizing who he was. he ran into the forest and techno pursued him, loosing him in the end. the police were searching the beach when they found him; he had a seashell clutched in his hand which has been gifted to his parents.” he smiled and folded his hands. “i knew him so briefly but he made an impact on my family. we will be assisting with the non-profit!” 

phil carried on slightly and eventually went back to his chair. they opened the casket so everyone could say their last goodbyes before the funeral procession proceeded to the graveyard.

first, his family went up. taking their turns. then his friends.

tubbo walked up, holding something in his hand. he stared into the casket and folded something gently in his friends cold hands; a seashell. 

“if this is what you wanted in your last moments, hold it close in the afterlife. we have matching ones.”

tommy watched from a few feet away and moved forward, hugging his friend. of course, tubbo didn’t reciprocate. tubbo was vaguely aware tommy might be there.

tubbo returned to his seat as the rest of the audience took their turns and everyone got in their cars, following the hearse.

they rested the flowers on top of his casket carefully and watched as the wooden box was lowered into the ground. tommy tried to claw at the dirt covering it to free himself, to come back to life by some slim chance. to find tubbo and say he was sorry.

he screamed and screamed even though nobody could hear him. at least, that’s what he had thought.

a cold hand fell onto his shoulder and he whipped around to see his friends translucent face staring back. the funeral had ended two hours ago at this point and they were covering the casket.

”hey, tommy.” tubbo said. he looked just as tommy did as a ghost.

”tubbo, what the hell? are you dead?”

”yeah. kinda sucks doesn’t it?” he laughed and sat down, folding his legs like a pretzel and watching tommy’s casket get covered.

”how’d you die?” tommy asked, sitting down.

tubbo didn’t answer for a moment, watching the dirt fall into the hole dug for tommy.

”at the beach. i held a seashell so maybe i’d find you again in whatever afterlife there is. and i did!” tubbo smiled and held up a seashell. tommy dug into his pocket, finding a similar one.

”tubbo.. you didn’t have to die to see me, i was watching over you. on the train, the light, it was me. i hugged you while you said goodbye to me at the casket,” tommy rambled. 

“it wasn’t just because of you. i had a hard life,” tubbo smiled softly and watched as the last shovel of dirt was thrown onto the pile. “you spent so much time running that you never knew anything about me, which was how i preferred it. but who were you running from, tommy?”

”me.”

tubbo leaned over and hugged tommy, although difficult because they were ghosts. tommy reciprocated and watched as his headstone was placed.

”let’s go find phil, let’s watch over him.” 

tommy nodded and they stood, hand in hand. they walked away into the snowy wisps of the night.


End file.
